Process of separating loosely-mixed materials



April 2 1, 1925.-

1 1,534,846 T. FRASER ET -AL PROCESS OFk SEPARATING ALOOSELY MIXEDMATERIALS Filed may 11, 1925.

Snom/MOM. nomas Fraser vPatented Apr. 21

UNITE-of STATES PATENT oFFlc'E.

I THOHAS FRASERAND HARRY F. `YANCEY, F URBANA, ILLINOIS. l

rnocnss or snrAnarrNe LoosELY-inxnp MATERIALS.

'Application led Hay 11,1923. Serial No. 838,395.

To all z'tmay-c'oncern: i

,Be it. known that we, THOMAS FRASER and HARRY F. YANCEY, citizens ofthe United q States, residing at Urbana, in the countyof Champaign andState of Illinois, have in-. vented certain new and useful Improvementsin Processes vof Separating Loosely- Mixed Materials, of whichthefollowing is `a specification. f

The present invention relates` more particularly -t'o processes wherebymixed nial* terials having ,different specific gravities may beseparated` without then'ecessity of I' 'a preliminary classification ortreatment."

The accompanying drawingis a diagram matic view of' an apparatus'inwhich the rocess canv be conveniently carriedo ut, and

illustrating the various steps or stages of said process.

While the invention has .been found rac.- tically eiebtive for removingslate, s ale, pyrite' andothe'r material of an analogous character .fromcoaLitis not necessarily vlimited to lsuch use. Taking this,yhowever,

as a coi'icrete example, 'andreferring to the accompanying drawing, acontainer .1 is employed, having a bottom 2 provided with [perforations3, and also having an o en top. In this container is located a bo y 4ofloose, dry, finely subdivided material, preferably of granularcharacter, ysuch as sand.l Thelower end of the container 1 below thebottom 2, is of tapered formation, as shown at 5, 'and connected to theapex thereof, is a pipe 6y for the delivery of air or other gaseousfluid-under pressure. The ysupply of suchiluid is controlled by asuitable valvev 7 A bin for holding the mixed material is indicated at.8, and leadingffrom the out let thereof is an inclined chute9 extendingto oneside of the top of the container, while an upwardlyriliclineddelivery table 10 ex-V tends from the'opp'osite side anddischarges on to a runwayll, which may a screen. A'n endless conveyer12, operating around suitable rollers or drums 13, isp'rovided withrakes14which operate downwardly over the chute 9l across the top `oi?the granular body tand up the delivery table. 10.

\ The process is as followss`Assuming a mixture of coal, which has aspecific gravity 'i rof 1.30 and slate vWhichlhas a-specific gravity Aof2.70 is in the bin 8, lair under any suitable pressure is introducedthrough thel pipe 6, and-passing up throughthe 4body of sand or 4gravityof the body 4 at 1.40, it will be evimaterial by-pass for the air.

Acult to remove and is detrimental in theture of coal and slate isconveyed from the Abin .8 on to the `agitated sand 4body 4. As

this mixture is dragged or moved across the said body the lightermaterial, namely, the coal will float at or near the surface just aswood -iioats' in water, and will therefore be directed across on to the`table-10 and discharged onto the 4chute 11, while the heaviermaterials, such as slate, shale, stone and theflike will gravitate downthrough the body 4 "and may be discharged there'- fr'om through a spout,as 15. This s out may have a controlgate 16 and a weig ted lvalveclosure 19, the spoutbeing o f suf" icient length so that it lwill notact as a In other words, the resistance aii'orded tothe passage of airthrough the spout will be greater than that required to causeit toascend through the'body of sand. A

Emphasisy is laid upon thefa'ct Athat this is a sink-and-iloat processin which the separating medium is a dry material `and is maintained insubstantially dry condition, While in operation. As a consequencethecoal is not moistened and as waterv is diiutilization of `coal, andVYindeed other may terials, this serious obJection is eliminated. Moreoverit avoids the expense and incon,

vvenience due to -freezing, experienced in winter where wet washing isutilized, and it may be used where -water is not available.

'Furthermore no preliminary sizing of the raw material before treatment-is necessaryand a plant for carrying out'this process p nia be of lavery simple character. It is to, `e .understood that by the term dry, itis not intended tol restrict this process to the luse of sand or otherbuoying material which is absolutely moisture free. But 1t should vnotbe a mixture ofthe saine withv 110,

a material amount of water, nor wet enough to be so sticky as to preventa free flow of the material in which the particles will separate andmove with substantially individual freedom.

Having thus fully described our invention, what We claim .as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. The method of separating mixed materials -having different specificgravities, which consists in creating in a body of loose dry granularmaterial, a fluidic condition with an effective specific gravity betweenthe specific gravity of the materials to be separated and less than saidgranular material has in its natural state, supplying the mixedmaterials to the surface of' said body, and positively removing thelighter material from the upper portion-of the body.

2. The method of separating mixed materials having different specificgravities, which consists in creating a fluidic, agitated body of loosedry granular materiahhaving an effective specific gravity between thespecific gravity of the materials to be separated and less than saidgranular material has in its natural state, supplying the mixedmaterials to the surface of said body, and effecting the positiveremoval of the lighter material carried by the'upper portion of saidbody.

3. The method of separating mixed materials having different specificgravities, which consists in creating a-body of loose dry pulverulentmaterial, passing a gaseous fluid upwardly through the lmaterial andthereby creating a fluidic condition thereof and causing its agitationand thereby reducing its effective specific gravity to a point betweenthe specific gravities of the materials to be separated, supplying themixed materials to the surface of said body while so agitated, andeffecting the positive removal of the lighter material carried by theupper portion of Isaid body.

4. The method of separating mixed'materials having different specificgravities, which consists in creating a body of loose dry pulverulentmaterial, passing a gaseous fluid upwardly through the material insufficient quantities to create a fluidic condition `and to cause itsagitation and therebyreduce i its. effective specific gravity to a pointbetween the specific gravities of the materials to be separated,supplying the'mixed materials to the surface of said body while soagitated, positively removing the lighter materials'from the upperportion of the body, and collecting and discharging the .heaviermaterial from the said body.

5. The method of separating mixed materials having different specificgravities, which consists in creating a body of loose dry pulverulentmaterial, passing a gaseous Yfluid upwardly through the material insulficient quantities to create a fluidic condition of said body and tocause its agitation and thereby reduce its effective specific gravity toa point between the specific gravit-ies `of the materials to beseparated, supplying the mixed materials in loose and substantially drycondition to thesurfaceof said body While so agitated, and effecting thepositive removal of the lighter materials inl substantially drycondition from the upper portion of the body.

l6. The method of separating mixed materials having different specificgravities, which consists in creating an agitated fluidic body of drygranular material having anv positivefremoval of the lighter materialsin substantially condition from the upper portion of the body.

l 7. In apparatus for separating loosely mixed materials, the'combination with a reservoir, of a body of loose finely subdividedmaterial therein, means for causing the said body to have a dry fluidiccondition, means Afor supplying the mixed material to the body, andmeans for eecting the positive discharge of the material of lightergravity from the upper portion of said body.

8; In apparatus for separating loosely mixed materials, the combination-with a reservoir, of a body of loose finely subdivided materialtherein, means for supplying the mixed material to the body, means forcausing said Vbody to have a specific gravity greater than one of thematerials to be separated and less than the other, and lmeans foreffecting the positive discharge of the materials of lesser specificgravity from the upper portion of the body.

9. In apparatus for separating loosely mixed materials` the combinationwith a reservoir, of a body of loose finely subdivided material therein,means for supplying the mixed material to thebody, means for causingsaid body to have a specific gravity greater than one of the 'materialsto be'separa-ted and less than'the other, means for permitting theseparate discharge of the separated material, and mechanism for engagingand positivelyremoving the lighter material that is carried by theVupper portion of the body.

10. In lapparatus forhseparating loosely mixed materials, thecombination with a reservoir, of a body of loose finely subdividedmaterial therein, meansfor supplying the mixed material to the body,means for delivering gaseous fluid under pressureup- Warclly throughsaid body to cause it bo have a dry luidic condition with a specificgravity greater than one of the materials to be separated and less thanthe other, and means for effecting the positive removal of the materialof less specific gravity that is `carried by the upper portion of thebody.

In testimony whereof` We aix our signatures 1n the presence of twoWitnesses.

THOMAS FRASER. HARRY F. YANCEY.

Witnesses:

LoUIs D. TRACY. H. J. VANDERBEOK.

